The Anderson School PS 334 is a K–8 New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 public school that uses traditional gifted pedagogy

Pedagogy

Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....

 to teach students from the City’s five boroughs who meet specific criteria for being intellectually gifted

Intellectual giftedness

Intellectual giftedness is an intellectual ability significantly higher than average. It is different from a skill, in that skills are learned or acquired behaviors...

.

Founded in September 1987 as The Anderson Program under the stewardship of PS 9, the New York City Department of Education

New York City Department of Education

The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...

 (DOE) relaunched it in July 2005 as a stand-alone school

School

A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...

 — PS 334. Anderson's enrollment has been filled to capacity since inception, which for K through 8 (as of Feb. 10, 2010), was 559 students.

Since inception, Anderson has had two sections (classrooms) per grade. For the 2009-10 school year, the DOE admitted three sections for kindergarten and opened an additional section for 1st grade. But, to accommodate a new District elementary school launching in the 2010-11 school year (PS 452), the DOE will return to admitting two sections per grade beginning that year. For the 2010-11 school year, the building will house:

1. The Anderson School
2. West Prep Academy (a district middle school)
3. Computer School (a district middle school)
4. MS 44 (a district middle school)
5. PS 452 (a new elementary school)

Admissions

The Anderson School admits children from all five boroughs.

All gifted education programs, citywide

As of the 2008-09 school year, the application process, for K-3, at nearly all gifted and talented programs

Gifted education

Gifted education is a broad term for special practices, procedures and theories used in the education of children who have been identified as gifted or talented...

 (G&T programs) in the City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 – which includes Anderson – uses the following two assessments:

1. The Bracken School Readiness Assessment
   Bracken School Readiness Assessment
   The Bracken School Readiness Assessment is an individual cognitive test designed for children, pre-K through second grade.The BSRA was authored by Bruce A. Bracken, PhD and first published in 2002 by The Psychological Corporation, a Harcourt Assessment Company. Raw scores can be converted to...
   
    (BSRA),
2. The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test
   Otis-Lennon School Ability Test
   The Otis–Lennon School Ability Test , published by the successor of Harcourt Assessment — Pearson Education, Inc., a subsidiary of Pearson PLC — is a test of abstract thinking and reasoning ability of children pre-K to 18...
   
    (OLSAT), which is administered by the G&T Coordinator in the DOE Region of residence at an appointed time in January or February;

The BSRA is weighted 25% and the OLSAT is weighted 75% towards a composite score.

Anderson K–3

For the 2007-08 & 2008-09 school years, there were three citywide G&T schools: Anderson, NEST+m, and TAG, all in Manhattan. Two additional citywide G&T schools launched in September 2009: Brooklyn School of Inquiry and STEM (Queens). See the official NYC DOE website for specific information.

Admission criteria and open seats

• K-3 Admissions is based on combined scores of Bracken (25% weighting) and OLSAT (75% weighting). Applicants will need a combined score above 97% to qualify for any of the three citywide G&T schools, including Anderson. Ms. Anna Commitante is Director of the Department of Gifted/Talented and Enrichment for the DOE.

Grades 4 through 7

• Grades 4–7: Admissions are based on scholastic achievement and a demonstration of academic ability. Applicants must show:

1. A strong academic record
2. A level 4 (out of 4) on the fourth grade English Language Arts Test
3. A level 4 (out of 4) on the fourth grade NYS Mathematics Test
4. Strong teacher recommendations
5. Strong academic ability via onsite assessment of math and writing

If an applicant has not been attending a New York City public school, Anderson will assess their available records.

Openings are subject to attrition of Anderson students.

• Grade 8: New students are not admitted into 8th grade.

History of admissions

Admissions to Anderson K-3 in 2007-08

Applicants whose combined Gifted Rating Scales Gifted Rating Scales The Gifted Rating Scale is a scholastic assessment for school children. It is used mostly for Gifted & Talented admissions. It is administered by a teacher who knows the child well...  (GRS) and OLSAT scores (weighted 1/3 and 2/3) met criteria were invited for an onsite evaluation to assess affective traits — an extra step in the application process used only by Anderson and the two other citywide G&T programs. Anderson conducted the onsite phase blind to the combined scores. This was the only year that the GRS was used. Beginning 2008-09, the DOE replaced the GRS with Bracken School Readiness Assessment and changed the BSRA/OLSAT weighting to 25/75.

Admissions 1987-88 through 2006-07

From 1987 to 2006, Anderson used a cut score (usually 95 to 97 percentile) from the Stanford-Binet as an initial screen. From those making the cut (typically 150 to 225), Anderson inferred affective traits from group onsite observations and chose 50 for kindergarten. The methodology was similar to that which has long been used for kindergarten admissions to Hunter College Elementary School.

Enrichment & extracurricular

Music

Spirit, interscholastic sports and student life
Student Council

Alumni

David Lawrence Vigliarolo Bauer – Anderson K-5 alumni: While a senior at Hunter College High School

Hunter College High School

Hunter College High School is a New York City secondary school for intellectually gifted students located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It is administered by Hunter College, a senior college of the City University of New York. Although it is not operated by the New York City Department of...

, Intel Corporation

Intel Corporation

Intel Corporation is an American multinational semiconductor chip maker corporation headquartered in Santa Clara, California, United States and the world's largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. It is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most...

 awarded him a $100,000 scholarship as first-place winner of the 2005 Intel Science Talent Search

Intel Science Talent Search

The Intel Science Talent Search , known for its first 57 years as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search is a research-based science competition in the United States for high school seniors. It has been referred to as "the nation's oldest and most prestigious" science competition. In his speech...

 (Intel STS), America's oldest and most prestigious high school science competition. Upon completing K-5 at Anderson in 1998, Bauer matriculated to the Delta Honors Program at MS 54, Booker T. Washington Middle School. Bauer is also an alumnus of Hollingworth Preschool at Teachers College, Columbia University. November 2008, as a Truman Scholar senior in chemistry at Macaulay Honors College, The City College of New York, Bauer was named a 2009 Rhodes Scholar.

Miles Purinton is an actor who played Jason in the film Dogville

Dogville

Dogville is a 2003 drama written and directed by Lars von Trier, and starring Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Chloë Sevigny, Paul Bettany, Stellan Skarsgård, Udo Kier, and James Caan...

. Purinton matriculated to the Delta Honors Program for Middle School, then Stuyvesant High School

Stuyvesant High School

Stuyvesant High School , commonly referred to as Stuy , is a New York City public high school that specializes in mathematics and science. The school opened in 1904 on Manhattan's East Side and moved to a new building in Battery Park City in 1992. Stuyvesant is noted for its strong academic...

. He is currently enrolled at Kenyon College

Kenyon College

Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, founded in 1824 by Bishop Philander Chase of The Episcopal Church, in parallel with the Bexley Hall seminary. It is the oldest private college in Ohio...

 in Gambier, Ohio

Gambier, Ohio

Gambier is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,871 at the 2000 census.Gambier is the home of Kenyon College and was named after one of Kenyon College's early benefactors, Lord Gambier....

, studying Drama.

History

Early gifted education and gifted education research in New York City

The Speyer School, PS 500, opened in 1936 at 514 W 126th Street for exceptionally intellectually gifted students, ages 7 to 9. While not the first, it was the City's only existing public program for intellectually gifted students and was operated collaboratively between Teachers College

Teachers College, Columbia University

Teachers College, Columbia University is a graduate school of education located in New York City, New York...

 and the Board of Education

New York City Board of Education

The New York City Board of Education is the governing body of the New York City Department of Education. The members of the board are appointed by the mayor and by the five borough presidents.-Rise, fall and return of Mayoral Control:...

. Speyer was the brainchild of Leta Stetter Hollingworth

Leta Stetter Hollingworth

Leta Hollingworth was a psychologist who conducted pioneering work on the psychology of women as well as on the education of exceptional children.- Early life and Education :...

, PhD, (1886–1939) a clinical and research psychologist, educator, and professor at Teachers College. She served as Speyer's executive director.

The pedagogical objectives for Speyer were a culmination of research from a groundbreaking "Special Opportunity Class" for gifted students that opened in the early 1920s at PS 165. Expanding on the work of Lulu May Stedman (1876–1960) and other pioneers in gifted education, Dr. Hollingworth spearheaded the project at PS 165, which yielded over 40 papers and a textbook. Before PS 165, the BOE had introduced gifted classes at PS 15 and PS 64. However, these were small-scale and had scant documentation.

The Speyer project yielded valuable data. In its first year, Professor Hollingworth reported that, because bright children progress quickly, they need only a half day to master a full day's work. And, unless their courses were revised at an early age, they would learn to be masterful time-wasters. Professor Hollingworth posited that students who progress quickly on the wrong channel can be caustic.

Her untimely death, November 27, 1939, ended the Speyer project — Speyer eventually closed its doors January 31, 1941. But, to commemorate the legacy to Professor Hollingworth, the Board of Ed. launched classes for bright students in twelve public schools.

Hunter College Elementary School

Before Speyer closed, Hunter College

Hunter College

Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...

 saw a public need and an opportunity. In the fall of 1940, Hunter College Model School, an elementary school in existence since 1870, added a pre-K and transferred its 7th and 8th grades to Hunter College High School and began operating as an experimental and demonstration center for intellectually gifted children. In September 1940, the administration changed the name to Hunter College Elementary School (HCES). Even then, HCES, the only elementary school in the city operated by the Board of Higher Education, had a waiting list and required an IQ test.

Beginning fall 2003, HCES discontinued pre-K. Until then, nearly half of the forty-eight kindergartners admitted to its kindergarten were matriculating from its pre-K, which made admissions seem impossible. For decades before Anderson, HCES had been turning away kindergarten applicants who met criteria as intellectually gifted. In the mid 80s, HCES used a computer random selection system for admitting students meeting its criteria, which frustrated parents all the more.

The K-5 Anderson program at PS 9

In 1986, frustrated over enrollment limits for applicants meeting criteria for admissions to Hunter College Elementary School, parents other like-minded parents from several Community School Districts. Ms. Susan Natale, a founding parent who had expertise in primary education, enlisted the assistance of Associate Dean of HCES, Evelyn Jones Rich, Ph.D., to help reach the parents of children who had met criteria as intellectually gifted. Ms. Dee Estelle Alpert, another parent, succeeded in having a resolution placed before the Community School Board in her District (Dist. 3) to create a program for such children.

The resolution passed. Ms. Bernadette O'Brien, then Principal of PS 9, welcomed The Anderson Program into her school. At the time, PS 9 had only 197 students. The building, though structurally sound, was poorly maintained and underfurnished. There was no playground equipment — only a yard.

Anderson began with two kindergartens and two 1st grades in September 1987, comprising eighty students. The founding teachers were Ms. Alicia Ruddy (kindergarten), Ms. Gail Goldweber (kindergarten), Mr. Robert (Bob) Moy (1st grade), and Ms. Beatrice (Bea) Asnes (1st grade). Mr. Moy, a decorated educator, is still at Anderson. As the inaugural classes advanced, adding two classes per year, Anderson grew into a full K-5 Program by fall 1991.

Sometime around 1989, Ms. Natale chaired a committee to (i) secure a Program Director and (ii) persuade the District to fund a Program evaluation. Then District 3 Community Superintendent Anton J. Klein (1929- ) approved the evaluation and, together, with the committee selected Lisa Wright, Ed.D., of Teachers College, Columbia University

Teachers College, Columbia University

Teachers College, Columbia University is a graduate school of education located in New York City, New York...

, to perform the evaluation. Dr. Wright delivered a comprehensive and seminal report that served as an operational and educational framework going forward. In that report, she recommended, among other things, that (i) Anderson appoint a Program Coordinator, which Supt. Klein approved and (ii) Anderson establish a Parent Advisory Board (PAB), which the Anderson community enacted.

Under sponsorship of the Friends of Anderson, the prime independent parent support group for two decades (until the Summer of 2009), Parents Advisory Board chairs, teachers, and administrators have attended annual national gifted education conferences. They have participated in workshops — learning and sharing to help others. During the 1992-03 year, the National Association for Gifted Children

National Association for Gifted Children

The National Association for Gifted Children is an association in the United Kingdom for gifted and talented children, and their parents. It is a registered charity under English law.-Function:...

 recognized The Anderson Program as a national model for parent-initiated gifted programs.

Grades 6-8 added

The DOE has long operated many well-run and popular middle school programs for honor students (particularly the Delta Honors Program), but none specifically for continuing gifted students and none that were mapped well with Anderson. While still a part of PS 9, Anderson added a two section 6th grade in the fall of 2003, admitting about sixty 6th grade students. Anderson extended the 6th to 7th in the fall of 2004, and 7th to 8th in the fall of 2005, graduating its first class of 8th graders in the same year that Anderson became a stand-alone school (2005–2006).

The Middle School "feel" extends to 5th grade. That is, fifth graders have departmentalized classes (they switch classes each period); and, like the middle schoolers, they have lockers. Grades 5 through 8 occupy the basement floor.

The Anderson School PS 334

Managing a K-8 program within the PS 9 K–5 structure was one of many factors that influenced the DOE’s decision to organize Anderson as its own school. Managing a small citywide program bearing a large outreach mandate while managing a school bearing a catchment priority was another factor. Partly in recognition of the achievements of The Anderson Program and partly as a heightened boost to gifted education and partly as an extension of the Chancellor's smaller school initiative, the DOE upgraded The Anderson Program as its own school in July 2005. Anderson became a school on the 40th Anniversary of the school building and in the year of the inaugural graduation of an AMS class.

The DOE promoted Anderson's Program Coordinator, Rachel Schnur, EdD, to Anderson's first Principal Interim Acting, then to full Principal. She served in those two capacities for the inaugural year. As its own school, Anderson formed a New York State mandated School Leadership Team (SLT). Because of some redundancies between the Parent Advisory and SLT, and at the suggestion of Dr. Schnur, the PTA provisionally suspended the Parent Advisory Board in the spring of 2006. In the summer of 2006, Dr. Schnur resigned for personal reasons.

In the Summer of 2006, the DOE appointed Brian Culot as Principal Interim Acting, promoting him to full Principal in April 2007. Mr. Culot inherited an administration that includes Aimee Terosky, EdD, Assistant Principal.

During the 2007-08 year, The Anderson School celebrated its Vicennial.

Principals, program coordinators, Anderson chairs, PTA presidents

Principals when Anderson was part of PS 9

• Ms. Bernadette Castronuovo O'Brien — PS 9 | August 1984 – August 1989 (presided over the founding of Anderson)

1. In 1971, Ms. O'Brien had founded, developed, and directed Learning to Read through the Arts, (LTRTA), a widely used and highly effective program. In 1984, at the urging of District 3 Superintendent Albertha Toppins, Ms. O'Brien sought the position of principal at PS 9, with a mandate to use her LTRTA expertise to turn-around PS 9, a failing school with less than 200 students and a candidate for closure. From 1984 to 1986 there was a great infusion of the arts and humanities in the school with reading and language arts at its core in an experiential, interdisciplinary, integrated, thematic, multicultural curriculum that included the visual arts, performing arts (drama, dance), and foreign languages.
2. She implemented pedagogy that cultivated extended thinking that provided opportunities for open ended questions and answers. For instance, there could be several approaches to finding an answer to a question, several answers to a question, more creative ways to solve problems and reaching for the unknown — all of which challenged students and teachers to go beyond standard replies.
3. In the 1980s, residents of District 3 could enroll their children in any school within the District. Parents, at the time, did not prefer PS 9. There was a budget crisis in the city. Monies were allocated to the schools based on enrollment. So, when an organized group of parents proposed adding a program for highly intellectually gifted children, Ms. O'Brien embraced the idea, thinking that, in many ways, it would benefit all the students in the building; namely, it would advance the learning environment and warrant more funding from the BOE.
   • Joan Gutkin, PhD (née Gotlieb; b. 1936 - d. 1997) — PS 9 | 1989–1997
   • Ms. Diane Brady — PS 9 | 1997–2005 Oversaw Anderson spin-off (still oversees PS 9)

Principals beginning when Anderson became its own school – PS 334

• Rachel Schnur, EdD (née Shavit) — PS 334 | July 2005 – July 2006 (see "Coordinators" below)
• Mr. Brian Culot — PS 334 | July 2006 – July 2009

1. April 2007: the DOE promoted Mr. Culot from Interim Acting Principal to Principal.
2. August 31, 2009: Mr. Culot left Anderson to become principal at an elementary school in the South Orangetown Central School District, Blauvelt, New York
   Blauvelt, New York
   Blauvelt is a hamlet , formerly known as Greenbush and then Blauveltville, in the Town of Orangetown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Tappan; east of Nauraushaun and Pearl River; south of Central Nyack and west of Orangeburg...
   
   .
   • Ms. Jodi Hyde — PS 334 | August 31, 2009 – present

Gifted coordinators (directors) during Anderson's era as a program (under PS 9)

• Rena Bonne, PhD | September 1989 - August 1991

1. Dr. Bonne , Anderson’s first Coordinator, inherited the Program as the inaugural 1st grade had reached the 3rd. When she arrived, she observed young, idealistic, dedicated, and energetic teachers devoid of a curriculum. After implementing staff development, Dr. Bonne introduced curriculum mapping, one that was differentiated, not necessarily accelerated, but more than simply "enriched," something that she ardently felt all children deserved.
2. Dr. Bonne valued the critical role of parents, not only in creating the Program, but also for its success. This is something she judiciously balanced with her own role as the first Program Coordinator. Dr. Bonne took steps towards winning the trust of tight-gripped founding parents, allowing her to establish boundaries, transferring responsibilities, such as curriculum development, from grassroots to professionals.
3. Recognizing that the integrity and quality of the assessment process was critical to the curriculum, Dr. Bonne strengthened it and worked to ensure that there was a direct relationship between the admissions criteria and the curriculum. Notwithstanding the notion that all children are gifted, she felt that if a school, for example, screened for musical ability, then the school needed to, at a minimum, offer apropos music pedagogy. In the same way, if Anderson admitted students for having strengths in verbal reasoning and problem solving, then Anderson needed to provide them with opportunities to reach their potential in those areas.
4. Dr. Bonne is an alumna of both Hunter College Elementary School and Hunter College High School
   Hunter College High School
   Hunter College High School is a New York City secondary school for intellectually gifted students located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It is administered by Hunter College, a senior college of the City University of New York. Although it is not operated by the New York City Department of...
   
   . During her post-Anderson career, Dr. Bonne served a stint as Vice Principal of Hunter College High School.
   • Ms. Nadine S. Antapole | August 1991–1992
   • Ms. Helen Krasnow | 1992 - June 1994
5. Working with the teachers, Ms. Krasnow refined the onsite stage of the admissions assessment. The onsite process involved children meeting in small groups, engaging in free play, listening to and discussing a story, and participating in a teacher directed hands-on activity requiring sorting of small objects and sharing. They were keenly interested in social interaction, cognitive ability, and general demeanor. Mindful of a large developmental span over a 12-month period, the team factored for variances between fractional ages and genders.
6. An important ongoing initiative of Anderson was to retain and build a greater dimension of diversity. In addition to direct and indirect outreach, Ms. Krasnow arranged for prekindergarten applicants to take the Stanford Binet IV test in their native language, which at that time, included Spanish
   Spanish language
   Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
   
    and Mandarin
   Standard Mandarin
   Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
   
   .
7. Ms. Krasnow, a curriculum
   Curriculum
   See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
   
    mapping expert, helped talented teachers strengthen curriculum continuity, both vertically and horizontally, without stifling creativity.
8. In the advent of personal computers, Ms. Krasnow oversaw Anderson's first effort to digitize essential data, particularly that relating to admissions, which, due to surging number of applicants, had become cumbersome for a relatively small program.

• Wynstelle Nicholson | 1994–1998
• Alice Geismar | 1998–1999

1. Geismar initiated an effort to improve the Program’s database with an eye towards enabling longitudinal studies
   Longitudinal study
   A longitudinal study is a correlational research study that involves repeated observations of the same variables over long periods of time — often many decades. It is a type of observational study. Longitudinal studies are often used in psychology to study developmental trends across the...
   
    and research.
2. She worked to introduce more science and technology education to the program.
3. Geismar advocated student directed, individualized instruction in the classrooms.

• Rachel Schnur, EdD (née Shavit) | 1999–2005

1. Dr. Schnur devoted considerable effort towards increasing diversity. She coauthored a paper, Economically Disadvantaged Students in a School for the Academically Gifted, Gifted Child Quarterly (see cite below), 2000. While the Stanford Binet IQ test was available for free for those identified as underserved through a couple of non-Anderson channels, the Friends of Anderson, in 2005, gave financial support for families who needed getting their children tested using the Stanford Binet.
2. Every coordinator that preceded Dr. Schnur worked hard to identify candidates of diverse backgrounds. Dr. Schnur redesigned the final stage of the evaluation — the onsite assessment — ensuring the environment would be welcoming and appropriate for children of any race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic background. Dr. Schnur also vetted the DOE's citywide initiatives for their suitability in a highly gifted program, making adaptations where, based on her expertise in gifted education, she felt it necessary.
3. Building on available information about the Program, Dr. Schnur encouraged Anderson parents to fan-out around the City — to talk to preschools, community organizations, daycares, nursery schools, religious institutions — all in an effort to help underserved families learn more about the possible special needs of their children and the opportunities available at Anderson. Using her own channels, Dr. Schnur reached deeply into communities that knew little about Anderson. The upshot was that diversity among admitted students increased.
4. Dr. Schnur oversaw the creation of the Anderson Middle School. Beginning only with a 6th grade in 2003, Dr. Schnur recruited, assigned, and coordinated the first team of teachers for grades 6 through 8.
5. The creation of Anderson Middle School ushered in a particularly busy time in her tenure, as she simultaneously served as Coordinator for the Anderson K-5 Program, Admissions Director for all of Anderson, and Assistant Principal for PS 9, with duties that extended beyond Anderson to PS 9's gifted and Renaissance Programs. Additionally, she presided over The Anderson Program's transition to a stand-alone K-8 school in July 2005.
6. Dr. Schnur is an expert in gifted education with a particularly strong interest and ability in curriculum development and instructional coaching. She spent much of her summers and after-hours on curriculum development; but day-to-day administrative duties demanded much of her time. She was a proponent of sticking close to the NYS curriculum, but with a gifted approach. She identified and implemented enrichment programs from outside the DOE system and was highly selective about the ones she chose. She was especially cautious in allocating enrichment so that it was additive, not alternative, to the NYS curriculum. Her expertise was especially crucial given the fact that Anderson, as part of its gifted pedagogy, accelerates much of the NYS curriculum, particularly mathematics. Dr. Schnur as served as a teaching coach. She was known to say that Anderson was not as much about being a better school as it was about offering a different approach for children who need it.
7. Dr. Schnur read weekly to the kindergartners and introduced Socratic seminars to grades 6 through 8. She introduced Shakespeare into both elementary and middle school grades. She introduced independent study projects, where students were allowed to follow their own authentic interests. She departmentalized fifth grade.

Anderson's assistant principals

• Denise Jordan, Assistant Principal | 2011-12–present

1. Ms. Jordan has taught first, second and third grade for 15 years in Brooklyn and in Manhattan's District 2.
2. She has also been staff developer and literacy coach.
3. Ms. Jordan worked at the NYC DOE's central offices as Special Assistant to Director of Department of ELA, Social Studies and Gifted & Talented.
4. Before joining Anderson, Ms. Jordan worked the Children’s First Network as Coordinator of Early Intervening Services.
   • Rob Schliessman, Assistant Principal, Interim Acting | 2011-12–present
5. Mr. Schliessman has been at Anderson since becoming a stand-alone school in 2005 (after its spin-off from P.S. 9). He developed the physical education and health curriculum, established and grew the middle school sports program into the 16 teams (as of spring 2011).
6. He is the founder and Commissioner of the NYC Middle School Baseball League.
7. Before becoming Assistant Principal, I.A., Schliessman’s was Dean of Students from school-years 2009-10 and 2010-11.
8. He holds a Masters Degree in Administration and Supervision.

Past chairs, Anderson Program subcommittee of the PS 9 PTA

PS 334 Parents Association presidents

School names

The Anderson School (PS 334) inherited its name from its former foster parent school, the Sarah Anderson School, a K-5 neighborhood catchment

Catchment area (human geography)

In human geography, a catchment area is the area and population from which a city or individual service attracts visitors or customers. For example, a school catchment area is the geographic area from which students are eligible to attend a local school...

 school that offers two programs: Renaissance and Gifted and Talented

Gifted education

Gifted education is a broad term for special practices, procedures and theories used in the education of children who have been identified as gifted or talented...

. Until PS 334 moved to 100 West 77th Street in July 2009, both schools shared a building at 100 West 84th Street. Sarah Anderson (b. 7-31-1922 Birmingham, AL - d. 2-2-1981 Griffin, GA) was a beloved school paraprofessional

Paraprofessional

Paraprofessional is a job title given to persons in various occupational fields, such as education, healthcare, engineering and law, who are trained to assist professionals but are not themselves licensed at a professional level...

. The school community successfully petitioned the Board of Education to rename PS 9 in her honor. It became official during a her memorial dedication in May 1981. Never married, she was the mother of three: Clarence "Pete" Anderson (1938 and living in East New York, Brooklyn

East New York, Brooklyn

East New York is a residential neighborhood located in the Eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 5...

), Ronald ("Ronnie") Dean Anderson (b. 1939 Griffin GA – 2001 Griffin), and Thomas Anderson. Sarah Anderson is buried at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Cemetery, Griffin, GA. Her nickname, for those close to her, was "Peggy." Her daughter-in-law (Clarence's wife), Earnestine Anderson, also worked with Sarah as a paraprofessional at PS 9. Earnestine resides in Griffin.

In 1993, under Principal Joan Gutkin, PhD (1936–1997), PS 9 (then the host school for The Anderson Program) received magnet school

Magnet school

In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...

 funding for music and art and henceforth adopted the name, "Renaissance School of Music and Art." Upon the departure of Dr. Gutkin, and with the ebb and flow of funding for the arts, PS 9 uses both names, interchangeably.

Physical plant

• Sept 1987 – July 2009, Anderson shared a building with its founding parent school P.S. 9
  P.S. 9
  Public School 9, The Sarah Anderson School , is a public elementary K–5 neighborhood catchment school that offers two programs: Renaissance and Gifted. Founded in 1830, P.S. 9 is located on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City.- Principals :* Ms. Bernadette Castronuovo O'Brien — PS 9 |...
  
  , The Sarah Anderson School, at 100 W 84th Street.

• July 2009 – Present, Anderson moved to a slightly older building six blocks due south at 100 W 77th Street to be shared with (i) The Computer School, (ii) PS 44 O'Shea Middle School (a district middle school), and (iii) West Prep Academy (a district middle school). For the 2010-11 schoolyear, a new elementary school (3 sections per grade), PS 452, will also share the building with the four other schools.

Parent, teacher and independent organizations

• Parents of P.S. 334, Inc., a New York not-for-profit corporation, serves as the official Parents-Teachers Association. While incorporating a PTA is not required by the DOE
  New York City Department of Education
  The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
  
   Chancellor's Regs, having a PA (or PTA) is. Nonetheless, the parents incorporated the PTA on November 29, 2005, four months after the DOE spun off The Anderson Program from PS 9 as its own school. In 2007, the IRS
  Internal Revenue Service
  The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
  
   deemed it a public charity under IRC Section 501(c)(3).

• Friends of The Anderson School, Inc., is a New York not-for-profit corporation, and operates independently, raising money for Anderson. Founded by Anderson parents in 1988, the FOA had, for two decades, served as Anderson's primary fundraising organization. In the summer of 2009, the FOA transferred its traditional responsibilities (direct appeal & school auction) to the Parents of P.S. 334, Inc. (operated by the PTA of PS 334). Henceforth, the FOA is working with alumni and friends to further strengthen Anderson. The FOA launched an endowment fund in 2008. The FOA is a tax exempt charity under IRC Section 501(c)(3).

• School Leadership Team, a state mandated organization that works together on, among other things, curriculum, budgetary, and operational matters. Seven elected parents (one of whom is a PTA President), six faculty members (one of whom is a UFT rep), and the Principal comprise the Team.

• Anderson Alumni Association, formed in the mid 1990s by Susan Natale (parent of K-5 1993 and 2000 Alumni), Ariela Heilman (parent of K-5 1993 and 1997 Alumni), and Elaine Kirsh (parent K-5 2000 Alumn).